Sold on Soldado

Our Sky Sports Fantasy Football scout recommends Roberto Soldado as a worthy acquisition for gameweek two

Roberto Soldado looks a worthy acquisition for gameweek two of the Sky Sports Fantasy Football season after his impressive start to life at Tottenham. The Spanish striker opened his account for the north London club with a decisive penalty against Crystal Palace, and then followed it up with a brace in their Europa League 5-0 win at Dinamo Tbilisi. Having netted 24 goals in La Liga for Valencia last season, the 28-year-old looked well priced at £8.1m, less than the likes of Arouna Kone and Jonathan Walters, prompting nearly 20 per cent of Fantasy bosses to secure his services. The role Soldado plays is key, with the absence of Gareth Bale seeing him become the focal point of Spurs' attacks, surrounded by creative players. The visit of Swansea looks a fine chance for him to continue his free-scoring form, with Andre Villas-Boas' men enjoying fine fortunes against the South Wales side, winning their last three meetings. The other big favourites this weekend are Manchester City, who visit fellow Welsh outfit, Cardiff. Value is somewhat more difficult to come by from Manuel Pellegrini's squad, but injuries do allow for savings. With Matija Nastasic and Vincent Kompany sidelined, Joleon Lescott, who is the cheapest of the trio at £6.7m, is now a certain starter. Given that City set a Premier League record with 18 clean sheets last season, Lescott looks a fine addition while Pablo Zabaleta (£7.4m) looks the best long-term option for those with a bit more cash in the bank given his command of the right-back spot, with an assist helping him rack 12 points last week. In attack, Edin Dzeko (£8.5) and Sergio Aguero (£9.8m) were paired against Newcastle to lethal effect, with the former actually picking up more points in the 4-0 win despite not netting, having provided an assist and picked up the Sky Sports man-of-the-match award. Everton and Southampton are Sky Bet's short-priced favourites to win on Saturday, with the Toffees hosting West Brom while Sunderland visit the Saints. Ross Barkley was the star of the show for Roberto Martinez's men against Norwich, picking up 12 for his goal and MOTM award, while offering superb value at a meagre £4.3m. Southampton's opener also saw a potential star shine, with Luke Shaw (£5.3m) picking up the second most amount of points in the opening gameweek. His rampaging runs from left-back eventually reaped the rewards as he earned a penalty, which was predictably converted by Ricky Lambert, meaning he was credited with an assist to go with a clean sheet and a MOTM award. Christian Benteke is the third highest scorer to date, having netted three times during Aston Villa's tricky opening fixtures. The Belgium international is appropriately priced up at £9m but is proving worthy of that price tag in a Villa side looking far more capable of creating chances than last season. The visit of Liverpool should not put off potential suitors, while Newcastle and Norwich follow. Monday Night Football divides fans and neutrals alike, with just over half of all Sky Sports Fantasy Football bosses including Robin van Persie in their line-ups. Some will look to the fact that the Dutchman did not net in any of the last four meetings between the two sides, but that stat is largely worth dismissing given he only started in one, was a substitute in the two FA Cup ties and missed the Capital One Cup clash. More significantly, he has scored nine goals in his last eight Premier League appearances, claiming a weekend high of 17 points with his brace at Swansea. Danny Welbeck also bagged a brace against the Swans and is available for significantly less at £7.7m, although his future involvement is likely to be somewhat dependent on whether Wayne Rooney remains at the club. However, Chelsea have an impressive record in this fixture, beating United more times than any other Premier League side, while Juan Mata (£9m) has netted in their last three league meetings. Pick your Sky Sports Fantasy Football side here.